Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	heart_n	word_n	1,814	5	3.8480	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02291	The ciuile conuersation of M. Steeuen Guazzo written first in Italian, and nowe translated out of French by George Pettie, deuided into foure bookes. In the first is conteined in generall, the fruites that may bee reaped by conuersation ... In the second, the manner of conuersation ... In the third is perticularly set foorth the orders to bee obserued in conuersation within doores, betwéene the husband and the wife ... In the fourth, the report of a banquet; Civil conversatione. Book 1-3. English	Guazzo, Stefano, 1530-1593.; Pettie, George, 1548-1589.	1581 (1581)	STC 12422; ESTC S105850	262,636	366

least punishement that they deserue is to haue their tongues pulled out as Iupiter serued a certaine nymph who bewrayed his secret loues to Iuno but I maruaile nothing though many fal into this falt for that we naturally run vpon things which are forbidden vs. Whervpon a certain wise man vsed to say that it was more easie to hold a burning coale then a secret word in ones mouth Wherefore I hold him for a very foole which discouereth his secrets to another if necessitie force him not For according to the saying He bringeth him selfe in subiection to another which telleth his secret to him who knewe it not I remember me to this purpose of a pleasant part of a seruing man to whom his maister gaue certaine garments which he no sooner had but he gaue them forthwith to a friend of his as his maister blamed him for it hee made answere why woulde you haue mee kéepe them when you your selfe coulde not kéepe them A man may shape vs the like answere in reuealing our secretes which we our selues could not kéepe hidden in our hearts And we ought to hold it for a ground that things committed to the eares are for y e most part proclaimed in the stréets But as it is a great falt to disclose y e secrets of other so contrariwise it is a notable vertue to know how to holde ones peace and to bridle his tongue And if we be bounde to keepe close the secrets of a friend how much more ought we secretaries to cōceale the secrets of our maister who giueth vs wages to the end we should be secret and that we should imitate the Gréeke who as one told him his mouth stunke answered that the cause of it was the many secrets which he suffred to mould and vinew within it Which may be vnderstood not only of other mens secretes but of our own also And in very déede he that will keepe his thoughts secret let him not vnfolde them to any other but let him be his owne secretary But me thinkes I am strayed out of our way and therefore it were better we returned to the distinction of the yll tongued Annib. Naye rather your briefe and sententious discourse came well to the purpose and I willingly gaue eare to it as matter not procéeding from a Secretary imployed in triffles Let vs now speake of yll tongued forgers whose naughtinesse is such that they wil accuse you to haue done or saide that which you neuer thought Wherein you oftentimes receiue iniury of two persons to wit of the false accuser who according to the prouerb speketh reprochful words to one that is deafe which is to backbite the absent of him who before he vnderstand the matter giueth credit to those false surmises This questionlesse is an ouer great fault and in the number of these forgers I put those who if you shall speake any thing vnto them soberly and sagely make a false and peruerse interpretation of it and wrest it to some euill meaning The ill tongued byters follow next out of whose mouth procéede certaine short nips which pearce our harts more then sharpe arrowes And though they quippe scoffe oftentimes according to the trueth yet they are not cleare from gilt for that they doe it with a spyteful mind whereby they incur blame and ill will Yea they are so indiscréet and insolent that they had rather forgoe a faythfull friende then a scoffing spéeche Neither can they so couer their wordes vnder the cloake of pleasauntnesse or grauitie but that their maliciousnesse is discyphered But as they are blame worthie who with such tauntes stir vp mens choler so those are to be borne withall who being prouoked return one scoffe with an other and those answeres euer are worth two of those which are made vnprouoked Wherof we haue a thousande examples amongst others this is knowne to most men which was made to the Emperour Augustus who méeting by chaunce with a straunger which resembled him verie much in fauour asked him if his mother had at any time béene at Rome insinuating thereby in flouting maner that he might be his fathers bastarde sonne But the straunger answered him no lesse boldly then merily my mother was neuer there but my father hath Guaz. It is verie true that he which saieth what pleaseth him heareth that which displeaseth him Annib. After these same come mockers and flouters who without any comely grace deride euery man and more easily persuade them selues that they are pleasant and mery conceited fellowes then perceiue them selues to be ignorant and vndiscréete fooles Guaz. A Gentleman will hardly away withall to bée mocked by one of these glorious Asses neither will he easily digest such an iniury Annib. I thinke so but he must vse patience and folow the Philosopher who as it was told him that certeine mocked him answered It may be they mocke at mee but I am not mocked * And no doubt he is greatly deceiued which thinketh it lawfull for him to despise or mocke any but those which are euil There remaine nowe the euil tongued vnknowne who worke their feate two manner of wayes either by writing or by figure The first by slaunderous Lybels impaire the honour of others and these same for the most part in maner of lightning which scorcheth the toppes of Towers and high Palaces cast foorth their renoume against Princes great Lordes The other with tablets and pictures vse to represent men and women in some infamous and dishonest act Guaz. I remember that in a famous Citie there was by night set vpon the dore of his house the most natural and resemblant picture of a Gentleman with two hornes on his forehead Annib. Such déedes are blameable yea and deserue punishment rather then blame * Now you haue heard how many sortes there are of the yll tongued in the world how grieuous their fault is which is moreouer more shamefull when it is committed against the dead for that the euil speaker sheweth thereby manifestly his base and abiect minde in offending those who can not defende them selues against whom while they were aliue they durst not perchance once open their lippes And of these this saying rose That the Lion being dead the verie Hares triumph ouer him * But it is nowe high time to set an ende to this discourse and I feare mee you will counte mee yll tongued to speake so muche yll of the yll tongued Wherefore all these kinde of euil speakers gathered together I say that though they are had in hatred yet commonly they are not excluded from the company of others for that they are not marked on the forhead by reason wherof we cannot refuse their company but must away with them so well as we may Guaz. Séeing your minde is not that we shall flie the Conuersation of such manner of pestiferous people in my opinion it were expedient and necessarie to teache some tricke howe we may be preserued from the venome of

as wée saide yesterday is sooner gotten by hearing one speake then by reading of bookes And therefore hee ought to count it no labour to listen to others nor shame to aske that which hée is ignorant in but hée ought rather to imitate that worthie personage who vsed to say I question with euerie man but I answere no man for that I knowe not how to frame a fit answere to anything Guaz. I am not ignorant that it behoueth one without learning to speake little and heare much and I knowe that by long obseruation of the sentences and discourses of others hée must néedes learne many things but nowe you haue taught him the profite hée is to make by brydling his tongue I looke you shoulde set him downe the charges hée is to be at in speaking Annib. As money well imployed turneth both to the commoditie of him that receiueth it and likewise of him that disburseth it so woordes well considered bring prefite to the hearer and prayse to the speaker And as out of one purse are drawen diuerse kindes of coyne as of golde siluer and baser mettall so out of the mouth procéede sentences and woordes of different value But as it is not lawefull to forge or pay out naughtie mony so neither is it lawefull to inuent or speake that thing whiche may turne to the preiudice or reproche of others For by such forgerie a man not onely shameth himselfe but besides putteth his own life in daunger which together with his death is in the power of the tongue Moreouer it is written that * the tongue is a little fire which kindleth greate matters * and that he which kéepeth and represseth his tongue kéepeth his owne soule Wherefore we haue to conclude that hée which wisheth to bée well spoken of by others must take héede hée speake not ill of others Therefore let him who hath his tongue in his mouth bee at this point that though he can not vtter graue and delightfull spéeches like vnto Philosophers and Oratours who are very scant in the worlde yet hée speake honestly and plainely as an honest and Christian man ought to doe * remembring alwayes that is better to slip with the foote then with the tongue * Guaz. As I thinke I haue read that a king of Egypt to prooue the iudgement of Solon sent him a beast to sacrifice inioyning him to choose out that part of the beast which he iudged best and that which hee iudged worst to sende backe vnto him Solon to accomplish the kings hestes sent him only the tongue Annib. And therefore the tongue is rightly compared to the sterne of a shippe which béeing the least parte of it yet is it of force to saue or sinke the shippe But of those which put the shippe in daunger of drowning and which by the venome of their mischieuous tongues procure hurte to others and blame to themselues wée spake yesterday sufficiently in so much that wée haue already excluded them out of the number of the good and desirable wherefore those which aspire to the degrée of vertue and which will shewe themselues woorthie to bée admitted into ciuile conuersation ought aboue all things to haue regarde that they offende no man with their tongue But they shall not bée quite discharged of their debt if besides that they doe not with their woordes séeke to profite and delight their hearers both together to the ende they may reape all the fruite which the tongue can yeelde For that the tongue by instructing conferring disputing and discoursing doth gather assemble and ioyne men together with a certaine naturall bonde Hée then that will behaue himselfe wel in ciuile conuersation must consider that the tongue is the mirrour and as it were the image of his minde And that like as wee knowe goodnesse or naughtinesse of mony by the sounde of it so by the sounde of woordes we gather the inwarde qualities and conditions of the man And for that wee are so much the more estéemed of by howe muche our Ciuilitie differeth from the nature and fashions of the vulgar sorte it is requisite that wée inforce our tongue to make manifest that difference in two principall thinges in the pleasant grace and the profounde grauitie of woordes Guaz. I vnderstande you your meaning is that as the poore people spende nothing but liards and other such lyke small monye so hée whom you speake of shoulde vse no other mony but gold which is the fairest in shewe and best in substance Yet if I bée not deceiued you are contrary to your selfe for you tolde mée not long since that it was ynough to vse plaine and simple speeche and nowe you will haue him speake with eloquence and wisedome But séeing you haue saide that there are amongst vs but fewe Orators and Philosophers howe shall I and such as I am doe that haue no golde to spende and who can not in companie be either Demosthenes or Plato Is it your minde wee shall returne to the schoole to learne Rhetorike and Philosophy Annib. I will neuer vnsay that I haue once said but I make good that a man ought to procéede in common talke simply and plainly according as the truth of the matter shal require notwithstanding if you consider how in Uillages Hamlets and fields you shall finde many men who though they leade their life farre distant from the graces and Muses as the prouerb is and come stamping in with their high clouted shooes yet are of good vnderstanding whereof they giue sufficient testimonie by their wise and discréete talke you cannot denie but that nature hath giuen and sowed in vs certaine séedes of Rhetorike and Philosophie But for that the more those good partes appeare in a man the better hée is accepted in all companies I would haue him aide nature with a little art and séeke to furnish himself with such good giftes that he make himselfe place bee desired honoured and estéemed in any honest companie hée shall come in Guaz. Yea Syr but take héede least eloquence bée not counted natural by diuers woorthy persons yea and it is much misliked of when it swarueth from the cōmon phrase and fourme of spéech which we vse with wife children seruantes and friendes For that wee ought to be content to expresse our minde without affectation without paine and without any pompe For if any of those be added it is besides the trueth and sheweth a superfluitie of woordes whose proper office ought to bee only to vtter our conceiued meaning And in trueth wherefore serue so many perephrases and circumlocutions so many translations and figures béeing able to set foorth matters and touche them brieflie in proper and plaine termes In my minde it may be saide that these professours of eloquence vnder the colour of an Oratour playe the parte of a Poet and by the feigning of woordes shewe the little plaine dealing that is in them Annib. To make you answere I must aske you this question whether you thinke the men

possesse that gift And for my part I confesse vnto you I haue not bestowed muche studie about those pointes But if your pleasure be that we shal roaue at them perchaunce we shall come neare the marke of the Authours of Rethorike Guaz. Euen as it shall please you Annib. I consider first of all that the first part of action consisteth in the voice which ought to measure it forces and to moderate it selfe in suche sort that though it straine it selfe somewhat yet it offend not the eares by a rawe and harshe sownde like as of stringes of instrumentes when they breake or when they are yll striken Guaz. To say the trueth that is the pronuntiation of the most part of our Monferins and muche more of those of Piemount who with the shrilnesse of their wordes goe thorow ones eares Annib. Yet wée must take héede we speake not so softly that we can scarce be heard Guaz. That is the voyce of Hypocrites and our holy Ankers who séeme to speake with the mouth of death Annib. Nexte wée must take héede to bring forth our woordes distinctly and to separate the sillables mary in suche sorte that wée set not foorth euerie letter as litle children doe when they learne to reade which is a verie vnpleasant hearing Guaz. The people of Verona and Venice séeme to erre in that Annib. But on the other side it is not méete to vtterous wordes in suche hast that like meate in the mouth of one almost starued they bée swallowed downe without chewing Guaz It is vsed of the Genowayes and those of Cor●a Annib. And therefore it is necessarie to vse a meane that the pronuntiation be neither too swift nor too flow But we must take héede aboue all thinges that the last sillables be heard plainly least we fall into the fault of some who suffer the last letters to die betwéene their téeth Like as he who for feare to say amisse durst bring foorth neither Tempum nor Tempus but Tempt and therefore wée must speake freely without supping vp our woordes and bringing them but halfe foorth Guaz. Louers commonly vse such vncertaine and broken spéeches Annib. We must likewise take héede we speake not out of the throate like one that hath some meate in his mouth which is too hotte or els is almost choaked with the reume Guaz. This is the imperfection of the Florentines and those of Luqua who haue their throates full of aspirations Annib. Some others offende as muche who opening their mouth too muche fill it with winde and make the woordes resowne within as an Eccho doeth in Caues and hollowe places Guaz. As I think that is the natural custome of those of Mantua and Cremona wherin those of Naples also kéepe them company Annib. Lastly the voyce must be neither fainte like one that is sicke or like a begger neither shrill nor loud like a crier or like a schoolemaister which doeth dictate or rehearse to his scholers some theame or epistle For it would be saide as it was saide to one If thou singest thou singest yll if thou readest thou singest Guaz. I doe not thinke for all that you woulde haue vs in speaking vse alwayes one tune and measure Annib. No verily for the pleasure of spéech so wel as of Musicke procéedeth of the chaunge of the voyce yea to ende this talke I woulde haue you know that as we sometimes stande sometimes walke sometimes sit without continuing long in either of them so the change of the voice * like an instrument of diuers strings * is verie acceptable and easeth both the hearer and the speaker and yet we must sée that this change be made with discretion in time place according to the qualitie of the woordes and the diuersitie of the sentences and sayinges Guaz. As far as I sée you haue nothing els to say touching this action Annib. No more touching the voyce but there is an other parte which perteineth to the iesture whereof perchaunce it were better to say nothing then speake too litle for that there belong vnto it so many circumstances that for my part I am not able to rehearse them Guaz. It is muche in my opinion to kéepe a certaine maiestie in the iesture which speaketh as it were by vsing silence and constraineth as it were by way of commaundement the hearers to haue it in admiration and reuerence Annib. Yet herein is required such a moderation that a man with too litle be not immoueable like an image neither with too much too busie like an Ape and as the one stirring no parte thinking to get the opinion of grauitie incurreth the suspition of folly and is taken for a feigned person brought in to speake hauing of him selfe no life so the other by the libertie of his iestures thinking to vse a plausible kinde of curtesie whereby to winne fauour speaketh a playerlike kinde of lightnesse whereby hée getteth discommendation I will not in this place aduise him that speaketh to holde his head vpright to take héede of licking or byting the lippes and to sée the woordes agrée to the iesture as the daunce doeth to the sowne of the instrument neither likewise doe I thinke it méete to admonishe the hearer to take héede of rude lowtishe lookes of wrying the bodie aside of too set a grauitie in lookes of too sower a countenaunce of gazing about him of whispering in any others eare of laughing without occasion of gaping too wide of shewing him selfe gréeued at the speakers wordes and of all those thinges whereby you may either amaze him that speaketh or els séeme to bée wearie of his talke I will not I say speake of these thinges for I should but make a recitall of Galatee and those bookes whiche the morall Philosophers and Rhetoritians haue written vppon this matter These are thinges whiche are learned not so muche by readyng as by vsing company for when an other speaketh wée marke what liketh and what disliketh and by that wée knowe what we ought to auoyde and what to followe as when wee our selues speake and that wee sée some of the hearers litle attentiue or some other way to vse some yll behauiour wée learne by his inciuilitie how we ought to behaue our selues in hearing others It shall suffice then to say for this time that touching this action wee must frame all the bodie in suche sort that it séeme neither to bée of one whole immooueable lumpe neither yet to bee altogether loosely disioynted Guaz. That is wée must imitate those which neither Saintlike are too ceremonious neither Iugglerlike are too quicke and too full of action Annib. Iust. But aboue all it behooueth him which by his action is willing to mooue an ether to féele first some motions in him selfe and to drawe foorth the affections of his heart in suche sort that the hearers séeing them shew without the eyes may be mooued by the verie countenance of him that speaketh Guaz. This same in my iudgement is one of the best

no man that thinketh so vilely and abiectly of himselfe that hée deserueth to bée scorned And in my opinion besides that it is no good manner to mocke another hée is also in daunger to receiue the like or a greater mocke himselfe For suche a blowe as the Asse giueth against the wall suche a one hée receiueth him selfe And if it bée a fault to floute such as one knoweth it is a greater fault to deride those hée knoweth not whiche some rashe and insolent fellowes vse to doe who as the saying is iudging the horses by the sadles and furnyture * consider not that oft times vnder a clownishe coate is hidden a noble and liuely vnderstanding Annib. A poore Peisant of Montferrat may bée a proofe thereof who comming into the Citie accompanied with certaine women a saucie Citizen saide vnto him Thou hast vndertaken to bring a great many Goates to our market Syr answered hée mée thinkes I haue brought but a few in respect of the great number of Buckes which is there Guaz. I knowe a young man who by his iesture and lookes séemeth to be but a foole and for that cause some make them selues merry at him but I may say to you hée can frame his answeres so fitly and can giue quip for quip so wittily that those which begin the skirmish with him boldly are faine to retyre shamefully Annib. To conclude it is a perilous thing to mock and scoffe at others and as the saying is To anger a Waspe And therefore it is not good to mocke any man in any maner of wyse For if hée bée our better or equall hée will by no meanes abide that wée shoulde abiectly estéeme of him If hée bée our inferiour wée make him thereby to withdrawe his good wil from vs which is an yll matter For wée ought to indeuour to make euery one if it bée possible friendly affectioned towards vs. Now if it fall out that another ouershoote himselfe in talke wée must consider whether it procéede of vnskilfull foolishnesse or of wilfull naughtinesse for the first wée ought to excuse it or discréetely to séeke to hyde it without iesting at it as some scoffing merchantes which are altogether voide of wit vse to doe for as it is an yl thing to make a scoffe at that which is well done so is it a cruell and odious thing to scoffe at that which is yll done by ignorance or ouersight But let vs come to those faultes whiche procéede of vice and which are to be reprehended Guaz. I thinke there is néede of farre more discretion in reprehending those then in the other Annib. So muche the more by howe muche the more daunger it is too deale in good earnest then in iest And though it bee meete for all sortes of men to excuse or couer those light faultes beefore spoken of in all sortes of men yet is it not lawfull for euery one to correct and reprehende the imperfections and faultes of euery man As it is not lawfull for euerie one either for lacke of authorite as for a young man too reprehende an olde or for one of lowe estate one that is of highe calling or else for that hee is sprinckled with the like or with greater imperfections as for an adulterer to rebuke another for lasciuiousnesse or for lying For as the Prouerbe is Hee that mocketh the lame must take heede that hee him selfe goe vpright Likewise wée ought not to presume to correct any others but those with whom either by consanguinitie or by long familiaritie wée haue credite and authoritie To bée briefe in reprehending wée must not onely haue respect to the qualitie of the persons but also of the places and times and to consider both howe wée ought to vse reprehension and howe our friend is disposed to receiue it And therefore it is reported that one saying to another Art thou not ashamed to bée drunken in such sort Hée answered Art not thou ashamed to reprehende one that is drunke● In like case it were to no purpose but woulde rather make him worse to rebuke a swearer while hee is in his rage and in the presence of others Yet this aduertisement is not enough but to vse déeper discretion in the matter wée must vse an honest kinde of deceite and intermingle with the bitternesse of reprehension the swéetenesse of some prayse Or wee muste blame others for those faultes whiche are in him whom wee seeke to refourme or els reproue our selues as subiect too suche imperfections Finally we ought to reprooue our friende in suche sorte that hee maye take it well and thinke him selfe beeholding too vs for it As some Philosophers in their Morall woorkes haue taughte vs to doo whiche shall suffice touching this pointe Nowe touching other meanes pertayning to the obseruation of the sentence beefore set downe if wee looke thorowely intoo it wee shall finde that all those whiche loue rather too bée then to seeme to bee will vse that foresaide discretion in auoyding all quarrellous contentions and obstinate arguyng in matters whereby a man desirous of that vayne seeming will often times contrarye to all reason seeke to seeme to haue the vpper hande of others Guaz. In my opinion there is nothing that maketh a manne woorse liked of in companie then that Annib. And therefore if hee which speaketh saye the trueth wee ought too contente our selues so well with his woordes as if they were holy Scripture And if hee chaunce too vtter any vntrueth rather then too stande in contention with him so that it no way preiudice vs we ought modestlye too beare with it Obseruing alwayes the rule of Epictere who sayd that in companie wee must yeelde humbly too our Superiour perswade gently with our inferiour and agree quietly with our equall And by that meanes there shall neuer bee any falling out Nowe I meane too tell you howe a manne ought too behaue him selfe in such ceremonies as are requisite in companie Guaz. I should thinke it wisedome to vse no ceremonies at all in companie for so much as they procéede rather of curious vanitie then of faythfull affection and in my iudgement the more a man vseth them the lesse plaine dealing is thought to be in him Wheras on the contrary when you sée one goe plainely to woorke both in woordes and iesture you say by and by that he is a good honest meaning man For my part I weigh it little that my equall hauing the wall of me should goe from it to giue me place I had rather haue him beare me more goodwill and doe me lesse honour And as you cannot but laugh to sée a farre off a number of folke skipping leaping daunsing you hearing no sowne of instrument so it must néedes make you merry to sée a farre two persons vse diuerse iestures and ceremonies of the head the handes the knées and wrying their whole bodie not hearing any woorde they say I will not say vnto you that for one which hath a good grace

world I must confesse her gouernment to be most glorious the commendations which you giue her to be both due and true but yet I must say that like a merchant willing to set forth his ware you haue blazed forth her perfections but you haue concealed her faultes you haue made no mention how shée hath banished out of her country the aucthoritie of our holy father the Pope howe throughout all her dominions she hath planted a religion different from the faith which wee and our forefathers haue béen alwayes trayned vp in Which faultes are so foule that like a spot in a gorgeous garment they are a great blemishe to the brightnesse of her renowme But were shée voide of them I could not then but say with you that shée were to be thought rather a heauenly Goddesse then an earthly Princesse Ann. If there be nothing else to kéepe her from heauen but her religion no doubt but she shal goe thither so soone as God shal plague her subiects so sore as to take her from them For I can tell you this that the most learned men in the worlde are of this opinion that her religion is the very high way to heauen And though for my part I make no account of it for that I know it not neither meane to deale in matters of religion for that I professe it not yet if a trée bée knowne by it fruites no doubt but this trée is good which bringeth foorth such fruits as the like are not to be found in y e whole world againe As first a Prince indued with such pietie such puritie such good giftes such rare vertue that shée may bée a patterne for all Princes to practise by then graue wise Counsellours referring all their thoughts doings to Gods glory to their Princes safetie and their countries commodity Next a wel disposed orderly comminaltie ruled as much by religion as law obeying aswel for consciēce as for feare And last of al continual peace and quietnesse which is a singuler blessing of God an vndoubted signe that hée lyketh wel of her religion and is wel pleased with her procéedings Guaz. If you can gather so much goodnesse out of that whiche I obiected against her as a fault I will héereafter finde no more fault with her but honour her as one without all fault Therefore I pray you returne to the matter wee haue in hande Annib. I say then as I saide before that therefore you ought to thinke that al the purposes and procéedings of princes are grounded vppon discretion and iudgement and that they doe all thinges better then wée are able to proportion them out vnto them of whom I may say that whiche King Leonidas saide to whom as one obiected Thy kingdome excepted thou hast nothing more then wee Yea answered hée but I had not béen King if I had not béen better then you Guaz. That fellowe coulde not bée without a reply to beate backe the nayle againe but perchaunce he liked better to yéelde with his tongue then with his heart by the example of the Peacocke who saide the Eagle was a fayrer byrde then hée not in respect of his feathers but of his beake and talents which caused that no other birde durst stand in contention with him Annib. Well I say to you againe that the dooings of Princes are blamelesse altogether without the compasse of our iudgement and alwaies mistaken of vs for those whō we take to be cruell are iust those whom we suppose to vse extremity in iustice vse lenitie in mercy those who ordeining new extraordinary imposts paiments are thought to bee couetous deserue rather to be counted prouident and wise for that they are not moued thereto by auarice which cannot enter into their noble hearts but for the conseruation of their owne estates their people So that the imperfection of our iudgementes maketh vs take all their perfections cleane contrary Guaz. I know not how you can attribute these perfections to all Princes séeing the histories are full of naughty Emperours and Kings which liued most wickedly Annib. I doe confesse it vnto you neither do I maruell any thing at it for that they were not Princes by nature but by violence neither had they any knowledge of Gods worde yea were rather feared then loued whereby they themselues were forced to feare others to kéepe them vpon their gardes for he y t will be feared must of force feare those whiche feare him To bee short they were vniust disloyall couetous lasciuious which rewarded the euill and persecuted the good who for a kingdomes sake woulde haue it lawfull to breake all lawes they were those in reproch of whom the fable is told of y e Lion who entred into agréemēt with other beasts that like good fellowes they should distribute the prayes which they tooke amongst thē al indifferently But afterward euery one cōming to demaund his part he shewed them his téeth saying The first part is mine because I am better then you I wil haue the second for that I am more mightie thē you the third by reasō is due vnto me for that I tooke more paine in the taking of it then you and for the fourth if you wil not giue it me I will haue it spight of your téeth so farewel frendship And therfore it is not to bée maruelled at that these tyrants for the most part died of some violent death by sword or by poyson On the otherside you know that y e princes of our time come to their crownes either naturally by succession or lawefully by election that they are Christians and indued with the knowledge of the trueth that they are sente by God to maintaine iustice on the earth to defend vs from oppression to represse the insolent to reiecte flatterers to respect the vertuous to gratifie the good and to shew themselues both in worde and déede no lesse stayed and vnmoueable then the corner stone or the celestiall Pole Guaz. But for all this it would like me well séeing you deny not but that there are some Princes subiecte to some infirmities that following your course you woulde giue some preceptes touching the conuersation betwéene Princes and priuate persons that our discourses may be insufficient in no parte Annib. For so much as you wil haue mee contrarie to my determination to speake of this matter I will binde my selfe onely to matters of most importaunce and I will leaue to you who are well experienced in the disposition and qualities of Princes to giue iudgement what belongeth to them in euery poynt There are then two special imperfectiōs in Princes wherby they soone come to loose honour state lyfe soule and all together The first is Ignorance which carieth a Prince into many incōueniēces And surely it is a great abuse that Princes haue not the knowledge of good letters but are faigne to vse that shift which an Emperour vsed who being reproued for that he spake